What We Learned From DC's JANUARY 2013 Solicitations

It's still mid-October, but thanks to the magic of advance solicitations, we know exactly what DC is releasing in January 2013 and the first month of the year looks like a typically newsworthy one for the publisher.

There are books ending, new ones starting, creative teams beginning their runs on existing titles, old characters showing up again and more from the currently unfolding "Death of the Family" Batman story.

Some of this news was first revealed at this past weekend's New York Comic Con and the hype leading up to the show; some were first glimpsed when the solicitations were released earlier this week. The 10 biggest revelations are right here, so click "start here" in the upper-left corner to start some early new year prep.

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GLIMPSE THE 'INJUSTICE' STORY EARLY

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Injustice: Gods Among Us isn't scheduled to be released until April 2013, but interested parties can get their first glimpse, in print, at the game's Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti-consulted story three months earlier than that.

The solicitation for the Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 by writer Tom Taylor and artist Jheremy Raapack states that the comic will "explains the events leading up to the start of this epic game," presumably detailing why they're all eager to beat each other up.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR DCU PRESENTS?

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The current DC Universe Presents story, featuring a team-up between Black Lightning and Blue Devil, ends in January meaning that a new arc will most likely be starting the following month.

So: Who will it star? So far, DC Universe Presents has introduced Deadman, the Challengers of the Unknown, Vandal Savage and the aforementioned Black Lightning and Blue Devil to the world of The New 52, so fans eager to see when "[insert character here]" will first be seen in the publisher's revamped continuity would do well to keep an eye on this series for news.

GUEST STARS GALORE

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This DC Universe is definitely becoming a cohesive place. There's more interaction this month, a third into year two, than we've seen since before the reboot. Aside from the advertised crossovers in the Super books, Rotworld-related titles, and Batbooks, there's a contingency of guest stars in Batwoman, Constantine popping into both Phantom Stranger and Sword of Sorcery, Simon Baz stopping by Green Lantern Corps to meet Guy Gardner, and more.

It's not just 52 individual books anymore, but starting to look like a DC Universe.

CREATOR-OWNED NOT JUST FOR VERTIGO ANYMORE

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Back when WildStorm was its own imprint, it also had a sub-line called "WildStorm Signature." That line gave us such creator-owned awesomeness as Ex Machina and Desolation Jones. Books like Mysterious the Unfathomable were even published directly under WildStorm, even though it was a creator-owned series. Vertigo, of course, has also been a hotbed of creator-owned work for DC Comics.

Now for the first time since the relaunch (and merger of WildStorm into DC), DC is publishing a non-Vertigo Creator-Owned comic that was commissioned as a DC Comics publication.

Insurgent by F.J. DeSanto and Todd Farmer and Federico Dallocchio, features a near-future where government controlled super soldiers who are sleeper agents in the general civilian population are lost to terrorists. It follows Lot 13 by Steve Niles and Glen Fabry, which was originally commissioned by WildStorm and is now seeing publication directly under the DC umbrella.

THE WILSONS ARE EVERYWHERE

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Deathstroke and family are all over the place in January 2013. Of course there's his own book, then there's his Secret Origin being told in Team 7, Rose in Ravagers, Rose and Slade both in Superboy Annual, and the Ravagers (presumably with Rose) in the final issue of Legion Lost.

But the biggest news for the Wilson fam is that Jericho, Joseph Wilson is back, appearing again in the pages of his dad's ongoing series. There's virtually nothing said other than he's coming after Slade. Still, seeing any missing members of The New Teen Titans of old is a welcome sight.

TEEN TITANS/RED HOOD TELL PARALLEL STORIES

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These aren't just stories that both tie-in to "Death of the Family," the big return of the Joker across the Bat-books. These two titles, both written by Scott Lobdell, will actually tell two sides of the same story.

What's more, the issues feature Jason Todd and Tim Drake teaming up in the New 52, forced to work together to survive the Joker's onslaught. Roy Harper will take over the Teen Titans temporarily, too, maybe giving him a chance to say "Titans Together" again for the first time.

BAT-FAMILY IS ALL SMILES

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Come on, how creepy are those covers?

The Covers to Teen Titans, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Batman and Robin all feature that trademark Joker grin on the faces of our dear heroes. Tim, Jason, Barbara, Dick, and even Damian and Bruce are all sporting the smile in some of the most disturbing covers we've seen yet.

Of course, if that goes deeper, into the actual pages of the stories, then Gotham City, Batman, and his entire family could be in some serious trouble. "Death of the Family" indeed.

SCI-FI SERIES 'THRESHOLD' STARTS

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One of the recurring themes throughout The New 52's existence has been an exploration of genres outside of superheroes, and DC is leaping into comic book sci-fi starting in January with someone well-versed on the subject Keith Giffen.

He'll be writing Threshold (first announced on Newsarama), a new ongoing series with a main story drawn by Tom Raney, and a second feature starring the fan-favorite Orange Lantern, Larfleeze.

"I've got the fantastic DC characters to work with, like the Omega Men, Star Hawkins, Blue Beetle, Space Ranger, the original Starfire and a whole lot more great characters to mess around with," Giffen told us.

VAN SCIVER ON DARK KNIGHT, PELLETIER ON AQUAMAN

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With Ivan Reis now on Justice League, Paul Pelletier is stepping up on Aquaman interior art duties as of January's issue #16, part of the "Throne of Atlantis" story.

The other big art news from DC's latest solicitations is Ethan Van Sciver, who had been stretching his writerly wings in the early stretch of The New 52 with The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men, coming on board Batman: The Dark Knight, joining writer Gregg Hurwitz as new series artist his first ongoing gig on a monthly series in a while.

FOUR BOOKS ENDING, NEW ONES COMING?

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We've already written at length about the four books being canceled in January 2013. Legion Lost, Grifter, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., and Blue Beetle, all four original New 52 books, come to an end in the month of January.

What's interesting is that three of those four titles are directly tied to other books that month. LL sees the Ravagers tie-in, Frank finishes out his Rotworld tie-in, and Blue Beetle actually leads into Threshold, the new title kicking off in January.

Is this setting up for an official new wave of titles in February besides Justice League of America, or will the 52 be dropped about a year and a half in? That's a mystery that will be solved by next month's solicitations (or likely in the next few weeks before then).